161. Weak — The Non-Owning Pointer That Breaks Rc Cycles

Mon, 25 May 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Rc<T> is a counter, not a tracing GC: two Rcs pointing at each other will sit in memory forever, each propping the other’s strong-count above zero. Weak<T> is the cure — a pointer that observes an Rc’s allocation without keeping it alive.

Weak on rustbites

161. Weak — The Non-Owning Pointer That Breaks Rc Cycles